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3. Ensure well-organized elections of deputies to people's congresses
The election of deputies is the foundation of the system of people's congresses and is of great importance for consolidating the Party's position as the governing party, ensuring the position of the people as masters of the country, and strengthening state power. In line with the Party Central Committee's arrangements and requirements concerning the election of new deputies to people's congresses, we will formulate the necessary legal documents and organize the election of deputies to the 13th NPC, acting in accordance with the Constitution and other laws including the Electoral Law for the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses. We will provide guidance to electoral bodies to help them organize elections well, study the lessons learned from the voting bribery case in Liaoning Province, and, through a combination of strict preventative measures and disciplinary regulations, ensure that the right direction is maintained in elections and the elections are conducted honestly. We will ensure that elections of deputies to the 13th NPC are properly organized in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Review of deputies' qualifications will be strengthened in accordance with the law. We will see that the national joint conference on the election of new deputies to people's congresses at the county and township levels fully plays its role, and ensure elections at these two levels are well organized.
4. Strengthen and improve the NPC's deputy-related work
During these past four years, the deputies to the 12th NPC, bearing in mind the great trust the people have placed in them, have performed their duties in accordance with the law and participated in the exercise of state power so as to represent the interests and will of the people. Their efforts have laid a solid foundation for the work of the NPC and its Standing Committee, and they have made great contributions to the development of the cause of the Party and the country. To ensure that the people serve as the masters of the country, we will continue to respect the principal position of deputies, consciously accept oversight from deputies and the public, and see to it that people's congresses and their standing committees always represent the people.
This coming year, we will continue to listen to deputies' comments and suggestions using a variety of channels, urge the State Council, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate to strengthen their communication with deputies, and broaden channels through which deputies can learn about state affairs and the government's work. We will invite deputies to observe meetings of the Standing Committee, and arrange for them to participate in the Standing Committee's law compliance inspections and attend relevant meetings and study and training activities of special committees. We will implement the guidelines on improving the system by which deputies to people's congresses keep in contact with the people, so as to ensure deputies better communicate with the people and respond to each and every one of the people's concerns. We will help deputies improve their political stand, thinking, and work style and ensure they are better able to carry out their duties, and we will strengthen oversight of deputies to see that they carry out their duties and functions in accordance with the law.
5. Ensure success in all other aspects of the NPC's work
We will actively carry out foreign relations work.
In accordance with the Party Central Committee's major policies and overall plan for China's diplomatic work, we will consolidate and deepen mechanism-based exchanges with relevant foreign parliaments, especially those of neighboring countries and countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. We will actively take part in multilateral parliamentary diplomatic activities and make use of both top-level exchanges and friendly exchanges at other levels to enhance political trust and pragmatic cooperation with other countries and deepen friendship with other peoples, thus helping create a favorable external environment for China's development.
We will improve the NPC's information and public communication work and theoretical research.
To maintain the initiative in work concerning the public discourse, we will work to understand, explain, and communicate the new theoretical and practical accomplishments that the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made in upholding and improving the system of people's congresses and in fully advancing the law-based governance of China, and we will demonstrate clearly the achievements and progress China has made in developing socialist democracy and the rule of law. To maintain the right tone in public communication, we will improve the NPC's press release work and enhance its public communication capacity. We will hold events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
We will continue to promote the development and improvement of the work of local people's congresses.
We will take steps to strengthen the work and development of people's congresses at the county and township levels, organize study sessions for leading members of the standing committees of county-level people's congresses, and offer better guidance on legislative work to local people's congresses.
In accordance with the Party Central Committee's requirement that the system by which people's congresses discuss and decide major issues be improved and that people's governments at all levels report to people's congresses at the same level before publishing major policy decisions, we will make sure that people's congresses properly perform their tasks in discussing and deciding major issues and better carry out their functions as organs of state power.
We will strengthen self-improvement of the Standing Committee in all respects.
We will improve our thinking and theoretical competence; take a clear stand in emphasizing politics; raise our awareness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, uphold the leadership core, and keep in alignment; and safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and uphold its centralized, unified leadership. We will deepen our understanding of the guiding principles of the Party's strict self-governance so as to ensure better implementation of them, strictly observe political discipline and rules, and create an honest and upright political environment. We will comprehensively improve the administrative bodies of the Standing Committee and special committees. Utilizing the lessons learned from addressing the problems discovered by the central discipline inspection team during its special inspection of these bodies, we will help these bodies better assist and support deputies and ensure their officials are loyal to the Party, honest, and responsible.
Fellow Deputies,
Today, we are closer than ever in history to realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and we have greater confidence in achieving this goal and greater capability to do so than ever before. Rallying even closer around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, let us stay true to the Party's founding mission and continue to move forward as we work with creativity and tap into our potential to uphold, implement, and develop the system of people's congresses, achieve the Two Centenary Goals,(1) and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.
Note(1) This refers to completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the Communist Party of China celebrates its centenary in 2021 and turning the People's Republic of China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the time it celebrates its centenary in 2049. Enditem
